Words and Music
 

I just got some tix I am excited about. The show is McSweeny's vs. They Might Be Giants. I know this matchup just did "battle" at a writing festival in Philly- the 215 festival, which sounded like a cool thing. Did any of yall go? Dave Eggers is the evening's master of smart ass, TMBG providing appropriate musical response. All of this to bring up the entertaining aspects of spoken word. Anyone out there into it?

hmmm.. guess not.;)

Can you explain the format?

Well...first in Austin and now here in Mpls, whilst innocently drinking my way around town, minding my own damn non-literary business, performance poets would crop up. Some I happened to catch in bars, clubs with open mic nights and more lively poetry slams. Info on that here But, barely verbal myself, it was not something I sought out, yet admired when I found it interesting. This summer the National Slam was held here and I did go to some rounds- it was fascinating. I think I was just catching some serious contenders, seeing the best. And it was great. Its competitive but supportive too. It is, of course, very closely linked to hip hop- there's also a strain that is more literary/jazz based. Music, dance have featured in some instances, but the focus is words. Not a quiet beatnik reading- but rather rowdy at times.

The McSweeny/Giants show is another thang. Its prose readings, but with musical response. I dont think its specifically a competition, but framed as an exciting battle of...well...maybe giants. The event is thurs 10/24. I should know more afterwords. But really wondered if any Philadelphians had seen it awready. Guess not. Maybe it'll suck. We'll see. I'm intrigued.

like word jazz?

i hear this stuff on npr late every friday night here. its... interesting.

~james

... got me thinking of Mike Meyers, "Woman, whoa man..."

Hari.....et.

Whoa..man! Ken Nordine! I didnt realize he had this NPR gig. Nordine has this trippy, hypnotic, low voice I first heard in 1970's Levi's adds. I know his wordjazz from an old album, vintage 60s, my friend Blonde Mark would play, Nordine muses on colors,"Bursting, Burgeoning, Burgundy" as I recall, its quite humorous and always a hit at parties. Its cool he's still "out there". He is unique. The voice...

"...what a quaint notion: olive trees!"

Report on McSweeny vs TMBG:
It was very very fun. The Fitzgerald IS a small old theater. It was really like a variety show.
One of the highlights was the opener, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. I wont do justice explaining it but...Mom (Tina) searches yard sales and thrift stores for old slide shows- vacation snaps, birthdays, and a fabulous 1978 McDonalds corporate presetation. Dad (Jonathon) writes strange and charming songs inspired by the images- The McD's slides inspired a rock opera. The performance includes daughter (Rachel), 8 on drums and background vocals. My favorite number was called "Look at Me!Look at Me!".They have a web site if this intrigues you enough.:) They happily announced their booking on the Conan show- Nov 5th I think.

There were three other performers, two pretty forgetable- a kinda funny cartoonist and a hipster doofus guy too wrapped up in his romance of being a "hobo" - but Dave Eggers was great, reading an excerpt from his new book, "You Shall Know Our Velocity" and cracking himself up along with the audience. TMBG added appropriate background music as needed. He could have read the whole thing.

The last set was all TMBG and fun. The best stage banter I've heard. Rocking comedy and everyone was on their feet.

So basically this thread is just about odd, yet interesting performances.

actually that sounds pretty cool. in my angst-ridden youth i spent a lot of time in coffee shops smoking cloves and drinking espresso. the bad poetry backed by even worse 'bands' seemed wonderful at the time. nowadays i dont think i could stomach the poetry, music, espresso or cloves, but i still kind of miss the 'magic' of it.

~james

Sorry I didn't get to this thread sooner...

James, were you angry, yet didn't know why? :)

If I ever reincarnate Sycamore (the musical deal), it will most likely be a spoken word deal...I dabbled a bit with it in the 90s. I still have a couple of tapes I made whilst living in DC and in my travels to Chicago...they're Rollins-type deals. I keep threatening to go to one of these hip little joints we have here in Philadelphia...

Don't unleash me. :)

The last 2 Recoil albums have been a mix of singing and spoken-word. You might like them Warch. Unsound Methods and Liquid are the two CDs...I like Unsound Methods in particular. Doug McCarthy (formerly of Nitzer Ebb) does two incredible tracks ("Incubus" and "Stalker"); there is also a spoken worder out of NYC named Maggie Estep that does a couple of great tracks. And of course, Alan Wilder (formerly of Depeche Mode) creates perfect backdrops to the words.

(As she draws deeply from her sparking clove)
*Cough, sniffle, pushes glasses back up nose*. I was never quite cool or consistently angry enough to pull that off- smells kinda good though, and I do like coffee, ooh! are those rice crispie squares? neat!

Warren-T a word dabbler, eh? I marvel at the balls to go up to an open mic. You should do it Syc,...cause It'd be marvelous. Unleash. You should at least give us bit. Creative urges, eh? They should be answered, not taken for granted.

From the dark, faceless audience, I enjoy the comedic, absurd approach. I like my heavy with a twist. I confess I've heard of none of the names you suggest, save Senior Rollins and Depeche Mode.

i agree. then post mp3s.

~james

Just wondering-
 

Can anyone remember if Soundgarden split up before or after Temple of The Dog? I really don't know why this is important to me at PRESENT, but I was really upset to hear that they were breaking up at THAT moment in time. My Bobby cat is talking in his sleep right now, and I just remembered the Pearl Jam song "animal". I think that I am very fortunate to be single and to have such a nice pet to keep me company, and it licks!

Well after. I believe Soundgarden split in 1996, and Temple of the Dog was around '92-'93.

Re: Just wondering-
 

Close, dave. Soundgarden split up in the spring of 1997 (I remember hearing the news while going to lunch one day...I actually shed a few tears over that.) Temple of the Dog was recorded in late 1990, released in 1991, and became incredibly popular in 1992 (after the meteoric rise of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden that year). It's a shame they never did a follow-up CD...what a great side project. Of course, it also sucks that Andrew Wood died...Mother Love Bone was a great band, too.

Ummminnabinnebummtimmytumtumtum-
 

Excuse me my friend, I do believe the proper terminology according to this perspective would be "allegedly recorded in the early nineties", not that I wasn't alive already before I was keenly in tuned with the very fact the very "LA" public had already been somehow deceived that I was some sort of monster by some higher unknown power that even you possibly voted for years ago. Consequently, R.E.M's "Monster" was also released about the same time.

Monster came out in late summer/early fall of 1994, IIRC.

The CD liner notes for the TOTD CD say it was recorded in November and December 1990 in Seattle. Are you saying there is a conspiracy involved here? ;)

Toto-
 

Yeah, I sang that one too. DON'T hold the line, I changed my mind! Just kidding: )

I'd really like to apologize for my rudeness through the last few posts here
 

I think I was drunk and pissed off about something else and it affected my mood (slightly), my sincerest apologies to all who may have been offended. I believe that after so many wonderful accomplishments (whether you take my word for it or not), I feel a need and responsibility to remain humble at all times. I am a survivor of many forms of rape, and a "good" survivor at that and would never wish that sort of torment on even my worst enemies. It's a great day to still be alive and riding high atop the airwaves of classic rock stations as well as current mainstream in many different directions. Thank YOU for putting up with my foolishness, and also for enoying my creations as I have been reading.

In the beginning blood overpowered the evil of all man's sins but in time the nation's grew week as the cities fell to slums.:)

As the weak stood strong-
 

Soundgarden, AND Temple of the Dog, AND Pearl Jam were originally (vocally anyway), recorded during the winter of 1982. I was merely 14 yrs. old at the time. That was roughly twenty years ago and don't forget S.T.P. Oh- excuses, excuses;)